Perpetuity

Toyota is known for its reliable cars. Some people have a theory that a Toyota, well maintained, will run forever. Forever being 300-, 400-, or even 500,000 miles.

That's a long time. If you drive 10,000 miles a year, that's a 50-year automobile.

However, Toyota is equally well known for producing responsible cars that are underwhelming to look at and drive. They appeal well to septuagenarians, but not so much to 20-somethings who crave excitement and energy.

So, you end up in this interesting situation of owning a car that will run forever but you probably won't want to own forever. Your only hope is to make it die prematurely. And--as we all know--Toyotas are notoriously difficult to kill.

If you haven't guessed, I own a Toyota. It's a Corolla with 150,000 miles on it. I've owned it for five years, and it's still running strong. My attempts to kill it include:

• Driving over fist-sized rocks in Hells Canyon
• Having the engine pressure-washed
• Hitting speed bumps at 40 MPH
• Backing into a 30-foot trailer

These attempts have utterly failed.

Well, if you can't beat 'em... join 'em.

I now have a new mission. Keep my car running until it hits 400,000 miles. It'll be good for my self-restraint, for my bank account, and for my theft resistance.

It's also good for my mission to find a girl who doesn't care especially for fast sports cars. But I digress... ;-)

Until next time,
- Daniel